The Rose of the World

The final entry in this trilogy fails to deliver on the promises of its first entry. A lot of character arcs just go nowhere. Still it does satisfy enough to provide some semblance of closure. Not bad just dissapointing.

This book sums up the trilogy perfectly. Captivating from the beginning to the end, I have to blame this book for 2 - 3 late projects, but at the same time thank it for one of the most captivating reads i have had yet. The story was well paced and delivered with immaculate style. The constant swapping between caricatures was a stroke of genius, I was never left waiting and wondering what was happening with the many other caricatures. 11/10, one of the best reads i have had for a long time

I have never posted a review before, but then I'd never written to an author before to say how much I loved a book either - until I read the final part of the Fool's Gold trilogy, Rose of the World. I might still not have written a review had I not noticed the number of negative postings while I was searching for more by Jude Fisher - okay, we all have different tastes, but I was still amazed; after all, Jude Fisher had just joined my list of favourite authors, alongside Tad Williams, George RR Martin, Tolkien and Robert Jordan! I'm not a literary critic and I struggle to explain why I was so enthralled by this story. I love remote Scottish islands and Norwegian fiords and perhaps I felt an empathy with the people and landscapes of Katla Arensen's world. But a novel needs characters who make that world come to life - and that's what happens here. I liked having characters who made mistakes; who sometimes survived more through luck than judgment, but who are infinitely more real than the chisel-jawed Robert Langdons of popular literature. Surely having less-than-perfect characters only adds to the unpredictability of the story? I suppose I'm saying that Jude Fisher's characters (both human and divine) have depth and, therefore, believability. I also found it a refreshing change for an author to treat me like a grown-up. This is not a trilogy for children; if it was, the often graphic sexual references and the horrors of death and sadism would have been toned down into euphemism and goodies killing baddies who deserved to get their comeuppance! So please, do not be put off by some of the other reviews. If you enjoy fantasy by the authors I've mentioned, and especially if you like Mary Gentle's `Ash' and `1610', then I'm certain you'll love this. Rose of the World is a brilliant book which concludes a brilliant trilogy. I, for one, want to read more about the adventures of Saro, Tam and Katla. A definite 5 stars!

I never post reviews normally, but I was so flabbergasted by the negative reviews posted for this excellent book, the end to what I think is one of the finest epic series I've ever read, that I couldn't just sit back and do nothing. I've passed The Fool's Gold trilogy on to my mom, my aunt, my cousins and lots of friends and they've all loved it, so I really don't understand where all this negativity is coming from. I like the way the story goes from character to character - it gives a sense of how huge this fantasy world is, and the balance Jude Fisher strikes between the cosmic and magical and the real human stories is quite breathtaking. There are flaws, sure: but there's no such thing as a perfect book, right? And I think the flaws (the end is just a bit too neatly done for my liking - I think maybe it should have been 4 books, not 3) suggest that when this interesting writer produces another book, she will be even better. If you like George RR Martin's Ice and Fire books, or Robin Hobb's Assassin series, you'll love this trilogy, I promise you. Don't take any notice of the reviews: get hold of a copy and make your own mind up. For me 5 stars.

I am a great fan of the first two books in this series and would rate both with 5-stars. But this book fails to deliver on the promise of the first two books. It's full of headlong action, with characters being killed off relentlessly. I'm all for dark fantasy and have no objection to death in a series, but not when it seems to be used as a convenient way to tie up loose ends in the plot. I expect great things from Jude Fisher in the future. She's shown that she has a wonderful talent for dark fantasy and for creating fully realized characters and situations. It's too bad that the ending of her first series is somewhat disappointing, but I can barely wait for the next one.

Three benevolent beings, the Woman, the Man and the Beast watched over the world of Elda making it a land of harmony, peace, and love. This idyllic world dissolved into chaos when Rahe, the most powerful sorcerer that ever lived kidnapped the Beast and the Woman, and buried the Man in a place to die. The Woman, the Rosa Eldi was stripped of her memories and her magic and taken to Rahe's hidden ice fortress where he siphoned off her powers and that of the Beast, making Rahe more powerful and dangerous. When Rahe's apprentice stole the Rose of the World and the Beast, magic returned to the world. At a trade fair, the King of the North, Ravn and the Lord of them South Tycho Issianm saw the Rose of the World and wanted her. Ravn won but Tycho Issian swore he would get her for himself. He coaxed the population into making war on the north. While this political intrigue takes place, the Rose of the World remembers who she is and is horrified that the world is a hateful place of petty wars and enmity between the north and the south. It is something she won't stand for as the Woman plans to find the Man and the Beast so they can return Elda to what it once was. The third book in the Fool's Gold fantasy series ties up all the loose ends, answering all questions satisfactorily while rewarding readers with a fantastic climax. THE ROSE OF THE WORLD is more epic in scope, so the various sub-plots tie seamless back to the main storyline as readers understand why each sub-plot was necessary to make this romantic fantasy a complex and fulfilling work. Harriet Klausner